U.S. Pat. No. 6,383,064, issued Sep. 4, 2001, discloses a pest repelling device co-invented by the inventor of the present invention.
The device of U.S. Pat. No. 6,383,064 relates to an elongated deterrent strip for mounting to an inanimate object to discourage birds and other pests from resting on that object. The strip includes a base of electrically non-conductive material. The strip in lateral cross-section has peripheral edges normally lying in a plane and a raised concave center portion. The base has spaced notches along each edge to provide flexibility to the base, whereby the base may be bent both out of the plane and within the plane. The strip further comprises two electrically conductive wires secured to and extending over the upper surface of the base, over the notches. The wires are spaced so that a bird's feet will contact both wires when on the base. The wires are connectable to an energy source so that the animal's feet will short the wires when perched on the strip, giving a mild shock to the animal to discourage it from continuing its perch on the strip.
In the device of U.S. Pat. No. 6,383,064, the wires are crimped in undulating fashion along the length of the base. One problem resulting from this prior art approach is that strong winds can cause the strip to flap up and down. This causes lengthwise stretching of the strip, including the undulating wires, and the end result is that the product either bends upwardly into an arch or in certain circumstances stretches so far that it sags over the edge of the building or other support surface on which it is mounted. In an attempt to solve the problem the strip has been attached to its support surface along the length thereof at very short intervals, e.g., 12 inches. However, even this does not eliminate the stretching problem.
Other devices are known in the prior art for carrying electric charges for discouraging birds and other pests. Exemplary of the state of the prior art are the devices shown in the following: U.S. Pat. No. 5,850,808, issued Dec. 22, 1998, U.S. Pat. No. 3,294,893, issued Dec. 27, 1966, U.S. Pat. No. 3,717,802, issued Feb. 20, 1973, U.S. Pat. No. 3,366,854, issued Jan. 30, 1968, U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,048, issued Nov. 10, 1981, U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,941, issued Nov. 17, 1987, U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,658, issued Nov. 17, 1992, U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,162, issued Mar. 17, 1992 and U.S. Pat. No. 2,626,303, issued Jan. 20, 1953.
The prior art indicated above does not teach or suggest the invention disclosed and claimed herein.
The invention disclosed in my co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/781,952, filed Feb. 19, 2004, relates to a deterrent strip for repelling birds and other pests. The strip includes a plurality of wire support members of electrically non-conductive material forming a bendable base. Each wire support member includes two spaced wire support portions and an inner portion disposed between and interconnecting the spaced wire support portions. The inner portions of adjacent wire support members define spaces therebetween.
The deterrent strip also includes two electrically conductive, extensible wires disposed along at least a portion of the length of the base. The electrically conductive, extensible wires are secured to the spaced wire support portions and spaced from one another.
Restraint members are attached to and extend between the inner portions of adjacent wire support members across the spaces defined thereby, resisting lengthwise stretching of the strip. More particularly, the device disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/781,952 discloses an arrangement wherein the restraint members extend along the center of the strip mid-way between the electrically conductive extensible wires.